MaaS_together

Urban mobility planning in recent decades has been mainly characterized by the use of traditional means of transport, with the emphasis on meeting economic, efficiency and effectiveness requirements. However, digitization has brought about dynamic changes in the mobility system, particularly in recent years. New solutions such as micro-mobility or innovative services such as ride-hailing or ride-pooling have come onto the market and offer attractive additions to the existing traditional means of transport. The forecast is that more and more new applications and services will follow in the coming years, often driven by the motivation of the providers to increase the market share of their solution without considering the impact on urban (mobility) systems.

Many academic papers focus on assessing how well prepared cities are for the introduction of Mobility as a Service (MaaS). But the question remains how to select the most appropriate MaaS system or MaaS component. So far, there is neither a standardized process nor a tool to assess new mobility solutions, their potential impact on urban space and their performance compared to other solutions. It is crucial to help cities in their planning and decision making process to select appropriate mobility services and identify potential mobility gaps within their mobility system. 

A MaaS component certificate and a MaaS planning and assessment tool are used for cooperative planning and value creation between cities and MaaS component providers. The Fraunhofer IAO is significantly involved in the data collection, planning and conception of the certificate. With the help of a desk research analysis as well as guideline-based interviews with mobility providers and various European cities, parameters were collected that serve as a basis for the categorization of the MaaS system. Together with the City of Helsinki, Fraunhofer IAO then identified the basic components of such a system and compiled the catalog of requirements. Both the tool and the standardized certificate are to be tested and evaluated under real conditions by using them in the context of a MaaS system planning project in the city of Tel Aviv. The development of the standardized certificate is planned for the first year of the project. The funding possibilities of the second project year, in which the first prototype of the MaaS planning and evaluation tool is to be created, are currently still being examined.

The goal is to develop a service for standardization and certification of MaaS components for cities to reach the providers of such components. By creating a standardized method for evaluating mobility innovations based on various thematic parameters that take into account not only the challenges of cities but also those of mobility providers (including cities), they will be forced to change their approach to designing their systems and business models. The project provides a guide and a structured process to deliver mobility services that are intended for the community rather than for individuals. This will not only simplify the design of MaaS for cities, but also provide a mobility system that is more sustainable and responsive to demand.

The project MaaS_Together is carried out within the "European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT)". This is an association founded in 2008, which aims to strengthen the innovative power within Europe and is an essential part of "Horizon 2020", the European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The EIT research area Urban Mobility consists of a total of 48 partners from business, science, research and urban representatives. The aim is to improve the sharing of public spaces while ensuring reliable, safe, sustainable and affordable multimodal mobility. To this end, the EIT has an annual budget that is used wisely within cooperative projects to solve specific challenges. The first project year of MaaS_together was funded within this framework.